


Mission: These Septic Stars || FullbusterFic » vonlane

by vonlane



Category: Naruto
Genre: Angst, I swear there's a happy ending, M/M, NaruSasu - Freeform, SasuNaru - Freeform, Songfic, but only a little bit of it, fullbusterfic, i'm over my angst phase i think, these septic stars, vonlane
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-22
Updated: 2019-04-22
Packaged: 2020-01-24 02:20:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,110
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18561967
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vonlane/pseuds/vonlane
Summary: A forbidden technique brought him to a Shinobi's concert in the Village of Sound. However, Naruto, scared that he should leave again, prefers to follow his teammate and help him despite the other's insistence on hiding something he did in the past.





	Mission: These Septic Stars || FullbusterFic » vonlane

**Author's Note:**

> A Naruto fanfiction.  
> I have permission from the author to translate and post this.  
> Original Story by @FullbusterFic || find it at: https://www.wattpad.com/story/142222397-misi%C3%B3n-these-septic-stars-naruto-naruto-sasuke  
> FullbusterFic's account: https://www.wattpad.com/user/FullbusterFic
> 
> I have permission from the original author to post this on AO3 and FF. net.

**Mission: These Septic Stars**

The fabric of the entrance opened all of a sudden, letting in the first rays of the morning sun and abruptly waking up Kakashi to find himself with Naruto's concerned face. His breath faltered and his eyes moved nervously, looking for something inside [the man's] tent.

"Are you alright, Naruto?" Kakashi asked once seeing the state of his student but Naruto didn't answer; an annoyed smack of the lips was the answer he managed to get.

The fabric returned to its previous state, leaving Kakashi to listen to Naruto's hurried pace run towards the tent to the side. He seemed to imitate the previous action and this time bothered Sai, who looked at him in surprise at the way he had gotten into his tent but [kept quiet either way].

Kakashi sighed, knowing that something [must've] happened on the improvised camp they had set up the previous night.  _They could never finish a mission without incidents!_  His drowsy eyes focused on the corner of the book he was reading: 'Icha Icha Paradise'.  _He [wanted nothing more] than to arrive at the Village so he could read_! But it seemed that once more... he was going to have to wait.

Lazily, he got up to find out what was going on but the only thing he managed to see once walking out of his tent was how Naruto had desperately opened the tent where his teammate, Sakura, slept.

"NARUTO!" His teammate's shout was heard a second before witnessing how Naruto came flying out and crashed into a tree from the hard punch.

Kakashi waited a second for everything to calm down. He watched as his student rubbed his cheek with the back of his hand before standing up once again, listening to [the girl's] complaining as she walked out from her tent.

"How dare you enter my ten—?"

"And Sasuke?" Naruto cut her off.

"Sasuke?" Sakura hesitated for a second, then looking in the direction towards the tent where the Uchiha was supposed to be.

Both Kakashi and Sai diverted their gaze towards the tent as well, doubting as to what the blond was talking about. It made no sense.

"He's not in his tent," Naruto commented.

 _Thoughtful!_  That's how Kakashi was upon hearing that. He had heard a bird flying over their campsite but thought it was just another Village sending a message to Konoha. They weren't far from the Village, however, with Sasuke's disappearance, something wasn't right.

"I heard a falcon flying near last night," Kakashi commented, making Naruto open his eyes wide.

He got up quickly, rushing towards his teammate's tent and opening it without delay. All his things were there except his weapons. He roughly threw the covers aside, scrambling through everything under the watchful gaze of his teammates until he found a ribbon on the floor. [With these], scrolls were tied to the falcon's talons, so Kakashi was right: a message was delivered and [Sasuke] had left.

"Where are you going, Naruto?" Kakashi asked once he saw him grip the ribbon and walk out of the tent determined to venture out into the forest once again.

"To look for him," He said angrily.

"We have to turn in our mission report, Naruto. Let's head for Konoha and after explaining what's happened, maybe then we could go look for him."

"It'd take away our advantage and I don't trust him. If he's escaping once again, we won't be able to catch up to him. Go turn in the report; I'll be going ahead." He commented, jumping onto the first tree he saw.

"Why does he never listen?" Sai asked with his usual seriousness.

"Because it's about Sasuke," Was Kakashi's only response. "And because Naruto doesn't stop to think about things, he acts."

"Do we follow him?" Sakura asked, watching how Naruto got farther away.

"No. Let's turn in the report and we'll follow later."

His hands moved, creating the seals for the Earth element, and bringing his hand down on the floor to finish his Tracking Fang jutsu, summoning 'Pakkun'.

"Follow him. Don't lose sight of him," He ordered Pakkun.

***

" _Shit!_ " Naruto complained as he jumped onto the next branch.

He was annoyed—annoyed with Sasuke for always doing whatever he wanted to, annoyed with himself for not realizing that his teammate had disappeared again, and for not being able to see if he had any other problem to be resolved. Sasuke was always so [secretive] about his problems that it was complicated to know what he thought every moment.

Once he wanted to realize that he was immersed in his thoughts, a branch was already coming towards him, making him bring his hands up and jump over it, sighing once he was able to dodge it in time.  _He should focus!_ He couldn't stop thinking about nonsense—only one person had the answer to do what he was doing and that was... Sasuke. He was going to find him; he felt his chakra up ahead. He wasn't even running and that made Naruto calm down a bit despite not slowing his pace. At least he was going to catch up to him in a few minutes.

Almost twenty minutes passed when finally, Naruto sensed that he was near; he must've been behind the few shrubs he saw in the back and that made his face shine brightly.  _He had finally caught up!_ He could see him in the deep end, behind him with the Uchiha emblem on that grey jacket of his.

"Sasu—" Naruto tried shouting when all of a sudden, he saw a bunch of kunai head directly towards him.

With barely any time to think, he united his hands to release his shadow clones so that his replica would grab his arm and pull him from the weapon's trajectory. Sasuke's face continued being unmoved upon seeing all that but was completely sure that it was his teammate. This attack was their specialty; no one could replicate anything similar.

"What are you doing here, dobe?" Sasuke asked in all seriousness.

"What am I doing here? That's the first thing you ask after attacking me?"

"I had to check if it was really you," The raven smiled with certain arrogance. "Yes... that absurd form of dodging my attack could only be yours." Sasuke challenged him like he tended to.

"Teme," Naruto complained, almost in between a grunt of fury and frustration.

"Return to Konoha," Sasuke ordered him just before beginning his journey once again.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"It's not your business, Naruto."

"Of course it is. Do you think you can leave just like that? Without any explanation?"

"I'm not leaving if that's what's bothering you. I'll return," Sasuke offered a slight smile once seeing the blond's concern. "But this is something I have to do alone."

"You're my best friend; you're not going to do things alone. If there's something that worries you, I'll go with you."

"I already said this is something personal, you can't come. Return to Konoha, I'll return within a few days."

"You're not getting away from me that easily."

Naruto grabbed his bag firmly and began walking as well, passing Sasuke and heading forwards without even looking at him, determined on accompanying him wherever he wanted to go. The raven couldn't help but smile upon seeing him so determined, something that caught Naruto's attention. Turning around quickly, he observed the Uchiha's arrogant and prideful face, pointing with his finger the path to the right—the path that led to the VIllage of Sound. A small blush took over Naruto's cheeks upon realizing that he was getting ahead of himself like always—that he had [messed up] because he had no idea where they were going.

"I knew that," Naruto argued, changing his direction and walking on the right path.

"Of course you did," Sasuke said.

What had Sasuke lost in the Village of Sound? He knew very well that many of Orochimaru's henchmen were from there—that he had experimented on those ninjas, that it was one of the places he most frequented and, like it or not... Sasuke had spent three long years with that snake. If they were heading towards that Village... it was because he had to have a certain relation with his old teacher and that... made Naruto nervous. He could still remember Orochimaru's anxiousness to get his friend's body, for having those red eyes, those that were capable of controlling any genjutsu: the most powerful eyes he had ever seen.

"Hey, Sasuke..." Naruto decided to finally speak after ten minutes of intense silence. "Why are we going to—?"

"The Village of Sound? I have [business to take care of], I already told you."

"But there... he could be there..."

"Are you scared, scaredy cat?" Sasuke asked, reminding him of the phrase he threw at him at their first confrontation outside the Village when they were kids.

"Of course not," Naruto argued. "It's just that..."

"I already told you: I'm not going back to him. I'm not even running away from Konoha or anything that your head might be thinking at this very moment...  _if your head is even capable of thinking!_ "

"Idiot," Naruto complained, slightly offended despite liking that he had this type of teammate relationship with Sasuke. They had always treated each other the same and seeing that everything was returning to normal [made him... happy].

Only the forest could be seen around them and Sasuke didn't seem to want to speed up his pace, something that baffled Naruto. If he was in such a hurry... why wasn't he going any faster? Even still... they'll have to spend a night out in the open before arriving at the Village of Sound.

"Why are you going there?" Naruto finally asked.

"I'm going to a concert."

"Are you kidding me?"

"No."

"You've escaped from us to go see a concert? Are you crazy?!"

"You're the crazy one for following me without a reason. I've already told you that I'm alright and prefer to go alone."

"You're not getting away from me."

" _You don't say!_ You followed me for three damn years!" Sasuke complained.

"Because you're my friend."

"Yeah, yeah... I already know how that song goes. Do whatever you want. Even if I tell you to leave, you won't listen to me..."

***

 _A bother!_ That's what Naruto was to Sasuke: a damn bother that obstructed his plans. Everything was going well: he had taken advantage and Kakashi must've had Naruto controlled so that he would return to Konoha while he marched off to solve his problems in the Village of Sound, but no...  _no one could even control that hollow-headed blond for half a day!_ Now, there was only one option:  _lose him out of sight!_

"Come on, Sasuke... tell me the truth..."

"The truth? I already told you, I'm going to a concert," He assured, hiding certain information that didn't interest the blond.

"Why won't you tell me the truth?"

"You're [stubborn]. Why don't we play a game so that you're busy?"

"Alright, yeah! Sounds good!" Naruto smiled. "What are we playing?"

"[How about]...  _being quiet!_ " Sasuke shouted.

This made Naruto angry a bit but continued behind the raven's back watching how the sun set, giving way to the night. He didn't think Sasuke would continue much longer.

"I'm going to look for wood to make a fire, stay here."

"So you can leave without me?" Naruto smiled. "Not a chance."

 _Not even that worked!_ It seemed Naruto had begun using his head. It was possible he had matured a bit, after all. He could still remember the insufferable twelve-year-old brat, but now... at least he thought a bit.  _He, too, should start thinking of something to leave without Naruto!_ He only needed a few hours to fix the mess he had brought [upon himself], and no more.

He sighed, tired. He had no time to argue with Naruto and his delusions, but he also knew that he wouldn't get rid of him so easily. He decided to not put too much attention on it for now; perhaps later—in the middle of the night—he could sneak away without him noticing and that way arrive at the Village of Sound. There... Naruto wouldn't be able to follow him.

Once in front of the firewood, Sasuke had no problem at all in lighting the fire, however, Naruto couldn't stop going around in circles about the topic that had his friend so worried. It had to be something grave for him to have marched off like that, something that seemed to escape his control.  _And everyone was very aware of how Sasuke hated losing control!_ He was always meticulous about everything, perfectionist and controlling.  _Just take a look at his room!_ Nothing could be out of place; it was everything contrary to the chaos that was Naruto.

"What have you done?" Naruto asked in almost a whisper while he glanced at the fire in front of him.

"What do you mean, 'what have I done'?" Sasuke asked.

"Yeah... you must've done something, something that's made you make this decision out of nowhere."

"I haven't done anything."

"Don't lie to me. Something's going on."

"I'm not going to tell you about what's going on."

"Why not?"

"Because... you'd sing like a canary if the ANBU or some enemy interrogate you. It's best for you to not know what I've done."

"You think I'd rat you out?" Naruto asked, annoyed. "I'd never—"

"Perhaps not voluntarily," Sasuke interrupted before he could continue. "But... they would be able to get the information out of you. I prefer you not know anything, you'd be safer that way. In fact... I prefer you go back to Konoha. "

"None of that; you've spent the entire way trying to convince me, but no. I'm not leaving, so stop repeating it."

"I'm going to sleep then."

"Without eating?"

"I have something in my bag."

Sasuke leaned back on the trunk of a tree and dug through his bag in search of something to eat. Luckily, there were still some bottles of pre-cooked food. On the other side... Naruto's stomach grumbled loudly while he rummaged through his bag, throwing everything on the floor in search of something to eat.  _He found nothing!_  A sigh was the only thing Sasuke let out before grabbing one of the bottles of food and throwing it over to his hands.

"Here."

"Thanks," Naruto whispered, somewhat blushed over his negligence to bring something to eat.

Neither of them talked after dinner. Sasuke didn't even [care to talk], however, for Naruto, it was strange to be quiet. He wished to speak, to ask a thousand things, but he also knew his teammate and his bad mood threw him back a bit. Once seeing Sasuke get up all of a sudden after leaving his bottle of food on the ground, Naruto also got up believing he was going to try to escape again. Such quick gesture of Naruto trying to follow him was noticed by the raven who looked at him with a face full of doubts.

"What do you think you're doing?" Sasuke asked.

"Well... going with you," Naruto commented.

"So you're going to hold it for me while I pee?" Sasuke asked with a teasing smile, knowing that this would throw the blond off.

Effectively, a great blush appeared on both Naruto's cheeks upon realizing how far he'd stepped [over the line]. He had been so worried and scared that he would leave him behind that he hadn't even thought about stopping for two seconds to think about where he could go.

"No, idiot. I'm going to pee as well, but not with you." Naruto complained, pretending to go as well and marching off in the opposite direction.

A grand smile etched its way onto Sasuke's face. At least that boy hadn't changed in those past years. He was still impatient [as ever], reckless, and barely ever thought before acting, but for some strange motive, he still maintained that don of his that made people who knew him... become his friend instantly. Naruto hadn't been a good friend to him... but the best. He would always be there to help him with any problem and, maybe... this gave Sasuke a bit of assurance despite not wanting to show it.

For an instant, in front of the tree, while he emptied his bladder, he thought about advancing and leave Naruto behind. He had the opportunity to take advantage, however... he then thought about how fast that boy would realize, annoyingly follow him... and then he would set the idea aside. It wasn't worth forcing a few seconds; if he wanted to get him out of his sight, he'd have to buy more time. Perhaps at dawn. Naruto always slept profoundly—he [could almost fall into a coma]—so he could have an option.

He returned to the campsite to find Naruto already in his futon with his ridiculous sleeping hat on top of his head and looking at him carefully as if waiting for him to run at any moment.

"Oh... go to sleep," Sasuke added. "I'm right here, no?"

"You won't try escaping during the night?" He asked.

"I already told you that I'm not escaping, I'm just going to a concert. You're very stubborn."

"I didn't follow you for three years and manage to get you to return only for you to leave again."

"You're paranoid, you know that? Do whatever you want, but I'm going to sleep."

Sasuke laid out the futon next to the fire and took off the katana he carried along with that purple rope-belt; he left it on the lawn to his side. After living with Orochimaru and his henchmen all those years, Sasuke had learned the most important rule:  _never sleep unarmed!_ He could never know when he would need the weapon. However, this was a habit that seemed strange to Naruto despite never saying anything about it ever since Sasuke's return to the team.

The fire was still lit between them, however, Sasuke got into his futon and turned around, giving his back to the blond that seemed to not want to sleep. It was very odd to see Naruto thinking. A noise made Sasuke open his eyes quickly, watching how that idiot dragged his futon over to him and grabbed his wrist.

He tried getting away quickly, however, his wrist burned slightly and when Naruto separated his hand [from him], Sasuke observed how a strange seal had [been] placed [on his wrist]—a seal in which a thread connected him to Naruto.

"What is this?" He asked, looking at the strange ability that he had never seen.

"So you won't escape during the night."

"Are you serious? Get this off me," He ordered.

"Good night, Sasuke."

"Naruto, I'm not in the mood. Get this off of me right now."

"Go to sleep. It won't bother you and this way I'll be sure that you won't leave without me."

"You're... idiot!" Sasuke complained, seeing his chances of escaping fading. "Fine, I'll take it off myself. A seal [coming from you] can't be too complicated—you were the worst in the class," He smiled.

"[Go ahead]. It's a seal from the Namikaze. Did you know they were the best at making seals?"

"When...?"

"When did I learn it? A gift from my dad," Naruto smiled, knowing that he could finally win something against his teammate.

"You think I'm going to slip away at night?"

"It's a possibility. I'm not risking it."

Annoyed after seeing how Naruto was capable of getting into his mind to prevent what he was going to do, Sasuke turned around determined to try to sleep. At moments, he wondered if it was really okay to lie to his best friend, to not tell him what he had done or the motive as to why he was marching away in complete silence.  _He couldn't tell him!_ He had put him in danger and he knew it. He already had enough with dealing with him until [they arrived] at the concert. There, he could lose sight of him... or so he thought.

He looked at the seal on his wrist. Coming from Naruto, he hadn't expected it to be something complicated, however, it was possible that he'd spend all night trying to figure out how to take it off and he didn't have that time. He wanted to be well-rested for the battle that was to come upon arriving at the Village of Sound. With that idea in mind, he preferred to sleep and let Naruto take it off in the morning.

***

"Come on, teme, we have to get up now," Sasuke heard Naruto's voice waking him up in the distance. "I didn't know you turned into a sleepyhead."

"I hate being woken up."

"Yeah... you have [quite the rude mood when you wake up.] Come, let's go."

"Can you take this off of me now?" He asked, gesturing to his wrist with the seal on it.

"Of course. 'Release'." Naruto whispered, joining his hands and making the seal disappear before Sasuke's surprise.

"Are you kidding me? That's it? I knew it couldn't have been too complicated coming from you. I thought your dad—"

"Had taught me it? I didn't have that much time with him," Naruto smiled. "Neither did I think I'd fool you that easily."

"Idiot."

Sasuke got up in a bad mood, picking his things up and once again placing his katana behind his back. At times... he thought about using it against his teammate for having humiliated him with that pathetic school-kid technique. He... who had been the best at the academy—the one who had the best grades, the most intelligent of his generation, except for Shikamaru, had been fooled by the idiot that was Naruto: the worst student of all.

He initiated the walk, leaving his teammate behind. Time was running out and he had to be in the Village by noon. Suigetsu would be there waiting for him to give him what was needed. Naruto didn't dare say another world, although a smile surfaced on his face upon seeing the raven so annoyed. Surely Sasuke had imagined a more complex seal, something that characterized the Namikaze and not some nonsense [of his] to trick him.

They kept quiet until finally arriving in the Village. To Naruto's surprise, Sasuke's old teammate waited for him there, something that made his hand instinctively move towards his leg in search of a kunai. However, Sasuke stopped his hand, keeping Naruto from committing a stupidity.

"You're late," Suigetsu smiled.

"There's still a few hours before the concert. Have you seen anyone suspicious?"

"Many ninja are arriving for the concert. Up until now, I haven't seen anyone who catches my attention. Perhaps they're waiting for the hustle."

"Probably. Do you have what I asked for?"

"Of course."

Suigetsu let a bag fall to Sasuke's feet, a bag that Naruto looked at with certain suspicion despite not making a gesture. He waited for his teammate to kneel and open the zipper.

"So you were serious about the concert," Naruto commented, seeing the shirts from the group that was going to play.

"I told you."

"What's going on, Sasuke? Who are you following?"

"It's none of your business," He replied dryly, making Naruto frown.

"I told you I could help you."

"I haven't asked for help from a ' _scaredy_ _-cat'._ "

Naruto didn't even want to reply to that. It was what he had called him on their first mission, that nickname that he had given him a long time ago and that now only used to [piss him off] whenever he challenged him. He tried to not let it affect him and instead thought about going along as well. Without asking for Sasuke's permission, he pushed him slightly away from the bag to put his hand in and dig out another shirt.

"I don't care what you say; I'm going with you."

Without warning, Sasuke began walking in direction towards the center of the Village as he finished tying his katana to his back. His fingers played with the entrance of the concert, moving it between them just as he let out a faint smile: his other teammate wouldn't be able to follow him inside.

The people looked at them with surprise, some even whispered behind their backs and threw rumors around that would spread almost immediately throughout the Village. Surely they wouldn't be well-received after being one of Orochimaru's apprentices, knowing that almost everyone in the Village of Sound had once been his experimental guinea pigs. However, no one seemed to be convinced enough to attack or say anything. They knew what an Uchiha was capable of doing and they preferred to stay out of problems.

They stopped to eat at a locale in the center, one where Naruto insisted on given that they had ramen. The concert wouldn't begin until eight, which left them with enough free time until then. People around them wore the same shirt as the ones they had—all of them supporting the musical group they were here to see.

"What are you going to do until time for the concert?" Naruto asked, seeing how Sasuke had finished with his bowl of ramen and read over a few scrolls.

"Read," He commented.

"What are you reading?"

"Something too complicated for you," Sasuke smirked.

Naruto moved a bit to see that on the cover, there was something about seals and not just any seal... he was reading about forbidden techniques, something that made Naruto paralyzed for a few seconds. Had Sasuke used something similar? Naruto couldn't reprimand him—Naruto had taught himself the shadow clone jutsu, a forbidden technique and despite the fact that they had tricked him [into it], it was something he shouldn't have read.

 _Bored!_ That's how Naruto was sitting in front a Sasuke that only read. He had been sitting there for hours without taking his eyes off of the scroll, letting time pass until it was time to head to the concert.

The noise outside made Naruto aware that the concert was near. The people all moved in a single direction and the sound of the scroll being rolled once again made it look like Sasuke was beginning to pick his things up. With a grand smile as he finally saw some movement, Naruto also picked up his weapons, placing them in the [bag tied around his] leg once again and follow his teammate. Surely everyone would go armed, so it was best [to be sure].

The line to enter was large, however, it went fast due to the numerous ticket booths that gave entrance. That's what made Naruto worry a bit, but then it dawned on him that he was going with Sasuke... and Sasuke always had a plan. He should've come up with a plan to get them both in by now.

Once it was his turn, Sasuke handed in his ticket and they made way for him to enter. He didn't even look back when one of the guards stopped his partner, impeding him from entering without a ticket.

"Sasuke?" Naruto asked with doubt. "Hey, Sasuke... come on... I'm with him," He tried to convince the security guard.

[The man only shook his head, a gesture that he could not enter], something that annoyed the blond. He frowned, bothered with Sasuke for how he had left him there. Now he understood why he had let him come this far—because he knew he couldn't enter. [At least] he was right on one thing: Sasuke always had a plan... but it was always in his favor, on his personal interests.

"Damn prick," Naruto whispered. "You're not getting away from me that easily. Come on, Naruto... think. There has to be a way to get in."

***

Darkness and noise—that was the only thing there was in that campus crowded with people. Everyone waited for the concert, but something more concrete was what interested Sasuke. He had come looking for certain people, ones he wouldn't be able to see with this many people and darkness.

He closed his eyes for a few seconds, letting the sounds envelop him and then... he opened his eyes slowly—showing the Sharingan on one of them—and scanned his surroundings, searching for what he came here looking for. He began walking towards the center, sensing those different chakras and focusing only on one of them that came from the other side of the room.

The ninja around them made way as they felt him [bump into them] and the few that tried to complain about being moved out of the way by him preferred to stay quiet once they saw the active Sharingan and the serious semblance of the young man. After a few seconds, everyone made way—getting out of his way in certain fear.

 _Shouting!_  That's what Sasuke heard when the few lights there were ended up turning off and turned back on, lighting the stage. The concert was starting. The first chords silenced the crowd and scenes appeared, surrounding the room—scenes coming from the illusions the guitars created on the stage.

Everyone was absorbed in the imagery, basking in the sounds made by the instruments. However, Sasuke looked directly at the vocalist of the group, frowning as he continued walking to look for a way to get as close as possible without interrupting the concert.

He was near the back of the stage when he felt someone's hand on his shoulder. He didn't even turn around; he grabbed the individual's wrist and was about to attack when he heard his teammate's voice.

"Naruto?" Sasuke asked upon turning around to look at him with that typical smile of disbelief, scratching his cheek with a finger, and eyes slightly closed. "What are you doing here?! How the hell did you get in?"

"You'll pay for that." Naruto smiled. "It took a lot out of me: I've looked for backdoors, I've tried climbing the walls towards the windows of the second floor, but the guard always found me. In the end—"

"Don't tell me you used your 'Sexy Jutsu'," Sasuke almost guessed despite the question.

Seeing how Naruto scratched his cheek hard and a drop of sweat slid down his forehead, Sasuke realized that he had hit the mark.

"Perverts," Sasuke whispered, seeing how none of the security guards could be trusted to keep his partner in check.

"You should've seen their faces," Naruto smirked.

"And you should learn better jutsus than that."

"Don't mess with it; it was the first jutsu I learned and the one I've perfected most. Do you want to see it?"

"Stop clowning around, Naruto," Sasuke complained. "Now I'll have to deal with you."

"Bad luck."

Naruto walked ahead without being able to stop smiling—pissing Sasuke off more at the situation. He had no other choice but to follow his teammate amongst the crowd of people that bumped into each other trying to get closer to the musicians on stage.

"This way," Sasuke placed his hand over Naruto's shoulder, then moving it up towards the band on his head and untying the knot to take it off. "And don't wear this; they hate Konoha here. Keep it safe until we finish."

Naruto opened his mouth to complain. He had never had to hide the fact that he was from Konoha—he was proud of belonging to his Village and didn't care of the problems it would bring on him, but, sensing that familiar chakra, he kept quiet, changing his glance towards the backstage.

"It can't be!" Naruto exclaimed, confused by that chakra.

His partner didn't pay attention to him, he simply began walking once again towards there, moved by the feeling of wanting to finish this as soon as possible. That snake had more lives than a cat.

"Sasuke... this chakra is..."

"Orochimaru's, yes," Sasuke confirmed.

"You're here for him, right? What's going on? You told me—"

"That I wouldn't go with him. I'm on your side, I've returned to Konoha. I've even let them reconstruct my arm because of your damn insistence, but this... this I have to finish and it has to be me."

They were still for almost a full minute. Sasuke didn't even look at him. He was still, his back turned to him in the middle of some narrow stairs as if he were waiting for the approval of his teammate—almost as if he were waiting that, for once in his life, the other would understand his decision and support him instead of going against him.

Naruto's bandaged arm extended out to the band on Sasuke's hand, swiping it away from him and putting it on once more. Sasuke thought that he would fall back, that he would try to convince him to leave here and that this was dangerous. However, once finished tying his bandana, he walked past Sasuke and walked with a determined step forwards.

"I fight for Konoha," Naruto smiled at him. "And if some ninja has a problem with my band, then I'm prepared to confront them. Now let's go for Orochimaru."

A slight smile formed on Sasuke's lips upon seeing his partner so determined. At least he could count on him and that was great. Even so, he still couldn't stop liking the idea that he was here. [Naruto] had followed him for three years—three years where Sasuke had tried cutting that bond he had with him but... Naruto was always an airhead. Now, he only had two bonds that he refused to lose: his best friend and his brother.

Naruto was the first to arrive at the top, bending a bit backward upon seeing a few shuriken fly towards him. Instinctively, he took out a kunai from [the bag] around his leg and tried to block them all, avoiding the last two from the pull Sasuke gave him to prevent them from hitting him.

The Sharingan was the first thing the enemies saw—that eye, red like blood—claiming vengeance and emitting that hate that characterized it. Orochimaru knew very well of his disciple's temper.

"At last we meet again," Orochimaru smiled, ignoring the blond that watched how Sasuke placed himself in front of him. "Talkative, as usual."

Not one sound came from Sasuke. He didn't even deserve to be argued with, nothing would make him change his opinion. That snake always had a plan and never rested until it was fully realized. Once in that situation, Sasuke only needed to protect the only person he was here for.

His hand elevated towards the handle of his katana, grabbing it tightly and starting to unsheathe the blade until it was fully drawn. His determined gaze made Orochimaru understand that he was completely serious. However, it wasn't Sasuke whom he was interested at the moment, but another Uchiha, one that wasn't protected and one that didn't have his full power at this moment.

A cloud of smoke surged in front of them, making Naruto cover his nose while trying to see where he was going, watching how Sasuke tilted his head and began running towards the stage. Only a few things could escape his Sharingan, but he saw it all.

Naruto began running after Sasuke as well. He couldn't deny that Orochimaru had always been one of his worst enemies, which, in part, he was always scared to confront, but had no other choice. Luckily, this time Sasuke was on his side and that relaxed him a bit.

A turn and another turn, but he still couldn't see him. He felt his presence and he could see his teacher's chakra head towards the stage.  _He wouldn't arrive on time!_  That snake had always been fast to escape, to hide, and lurk around his enemies. He was astute and feared nothing and no one.

He could hear that sound he knew so well—that one when Orochimaru used 'Kusanagi' from his stomach to attack. He couldn't help but get scared. He was here to protect one person: the vocalist of the group, Matt Savage—'Sav', as some tended to call him. He hadn't even told Naruto that they were hand in hand, or that those guys had been exposed to some of Orochimaru's experiments, nor that he knew them from the time he lived on those caves when they moved from place to place. He didn't even have the intention of meeting them again as it was much safer that way.

Yet here he was now: following after Orochimaru only because Sasuke did something he shouldn't have done. Because he put other people in danger believing no one would find out about that technique he used. It was even possible that if his teammates knew about what he did, they'd end up getting the ANBU's attention and surely getting interrogated to know the motive as to why the forbidden technique—one that put many lives and the security of the Village at risk—was used.

Fish, the bass guitarist on the left side, was the first to react upon Orochimaru's threat. He had always been sensible with chakras. The tone of his bass guitar changed at that instant: a sound that made Sasuke stop and fall to the floor before an explosion was heard and the public ran confused towards the exits.

"Damn it," Sasuke hissed on the floor, seeing how Naruto arrived at that moment.

"Are you alright?" He asked.

"Perfectly well."

"What was that?"

"He can regulate the density of the air when he plays. He can compress it until getting an explosion. It's just compressed air, very good for attacking or defending."

Despite looking at him hesitatingly, Naruto didn't want to ask how Sasuke could know the abilities of those men. For some strange reason, those three years that Sasuke had been under Orochimaru's guidance came to mind and he thought... that perhaps he knew them from that time.

When the smoke dissipated, they could see how a gust of air surrounded the stage, impeding Orochimaru from going any further than where he was despite seeming like he was coming up with a plan. Judging by the smile that appeared on his face, Sasuke knew he had found a way to continue towards them. He got up quickly, trying to reach his teacher but with no success. That horrible snake had excavated and planned to head towards them from underground.

"I'll cross," Naruto told him, running towards the wall of air that swirled at a grand velocity. Sasuke stopped him at that instant, grabbing his arm to immobilize him.

"Don't even think about it. If you cross that, the air will shred you to bits."

"I'll use Sage Mode; I'll stop it."

"Orochimaru can't use Sage Mode although he spent years trying to learn the technique, however, he does know how to neutralize it, so don't be reckless."

"So what do you suppose we do? Wait here?"

"No," Sasuke said, locking his gaze with the vocalist on the other side of the mural, visualizing part of the tattoo on his shoulder, or at least, the most his clothes could expose.

"Sasuke?"

"I'm thinking."

Only that tattoo was before his eyes; that tattoo that he himself had created and the same one that was living proof of the technique he had used on that guy. At least the good news was that Naruto didn't know what was going on, he was always a scatterbrain.

" _I have an idea!_ " were the words that Sasuke directed towards a surprised Naruto.

His Sharingan fixed itself on one location, his eyes attentive on what was happening on the stage didn't look away for even a second. And then... everything was silent inside that illusion Sasuke had created as a distraction to be able to approach them before they could begin attacking again.

"Once we enter, I'll cover you."

"Alright," Naruto smiled, starting to run towards the barrier of air that originated from the group followed closely by Sasuke, who began using Susanoo to continue forwards to avoid damage.

Susanoo's aura slowly covered Naruto, letting him pass to the interior of the stage and creating a breach in the sharp air, finally being able to head towards them. Everyone had practically gotten out of the illusion that Sasuke had created, but it had at least given them the time necessary to get there.

"Sasuke?" He heard Sav's voice from the other side, more surprised to see him there. "What are you doing here?"

"I know: we agreed it was best not to see each other so they wouldn't discover anything but... it was an emergency."

"I see the emergency," He smiled, seeing Orochimaru there. "Either way, I'm glad to see you again."

"I couldn't miss your concert."

 _Everything was strange!_ Naruto could only see how good those two got along, bumping fists as if they had been colleagues all their lives. _Three years had he been away from Sasuke!_ But... had he made any friends? The lone Sasuke? Or perhaps they had only been teammates during a battle at some point and from there, they had that connection. _He couldn't understand anything!_

"This is Naruto; he's a bit of a scatterbrain but... he's a good ninja," Sasuke spoke as he introduced them.

"A pleasure," Sav smiled towards the blond that looked at them with certain doubts in his face.

"Likewise," Naruto reacted with a smile.

The three looked towards the rest of the group, trying to maintain a committed Orochimaru in line from getting near Sav for a motive that Naruto couldn't understand, but that didn't seem to be a dilemma for the rest.

"What's going on?" Naruto asked, bothered. "Why are they looking for him? And more importantly, why have you come all this way to defend him?"

"You ask too many questions, Naruto," Sasuke let out. "Can we finish Orochimaru off and then ease your doubts?"

He wasn't very convinced; Sasuke wasn't like those who would tell him things just like that, but he had no other choice. Naruto had promised that he would support him and [besides], Sasuke had returned to the Village. He was looking for his redemption and was behaving; [Naruto] couldn't ask him to change, not after all he had gone through.

"Move aside, brat."

That was the first thing Naruto heard before stopping the blade that came towards him and pushed him against one of the side walls, getting him away from his other two teammates.

"This doesn't concern you," Orochimaru commented. "This is something between them and I."

"I wouldn't get him angry," Sasuke smirked, seeing how Naruto became smoke and the authentic one attacked from behind with a perfected Rasengan on his right hand.

The jutsu with the snakes [was summoned to] immediately attack Naruto, but Susanoo's hand was much faster, blocking the attack and letting Naruto dodge it to attack from another point.

"It seems as if they've spoken before," Kabuto commented upon seeing that.

"Yes, their teamwork is good. It seems as if they don't get along well and yet it turns out it's all the opposite."

"I think they've always had that connection. There's no need for them to speak to know what the other will do," Kabuto whispered, seeing the two of them in front of him.

A sound came to the ears of those two enemies—it was Savage's voice—using that intonation of his to create genjutsus. It seemed to work at first until a ball of fire surged in the air. The intonation changed, creating a mural of air between them and finally stopping the ability.

The three looked over to Orochimaru's eyes, those snake eyes that paralyzed them almost instantly.  _He had lived through this before!_  At the exams. That time, it cost him a lot of time to move, but this time, it wasn't like that. He had experienced it many times [now] and knew how to remove that technique. However, there was a vision that was burned into him. Naruto's death. He saw how they killed him there, at that moment and that made him tense. He could only think of one thing:  _get Naruto out of here!_ He [alone] could fight perfectly well with the group.

He placed his hand on Naruto's shoulder and put his chakra in him to take him out of that illusion. Luckily for them, Sav got out on his own, surely thanks to his brother's soul that was still sealed in him.

"Let's get serious," Naruto smiled, bumping his fist into the palm of his own hand before feeling a kick from his partner.

 _He was rolling!_ He was falling down the stairs from where Sasuke had pushed him. Everyone was shocked at the raven's attitude, hearing Naruto's groans as he hit the steps. It was Sasuke who closed the door after him.

"You shouldn't have done that. Naruto is the first to scream and charge," Orochimaru smirked, knowing that the blond would come out more pissed off than ever for what Sasuke had done.

"I know," Sasuke said in all seriousness.

 _Protecting!_  That's what Orochimaru saw Sasuke do. He was protecting. That boy had lost his family, killing his own brother—he had regretted doing that, always alone...but Naruto would always be his best friend; he couldn't break that bond with him. He didn't want anything bad to happen to the only family he had left, that's why he had kicked him out.  _Sasuke was like an open book to him!_  His best student and the body he had wished as a [vessel].

"Damn it," Naruto complained once arriving at the bottom, wiping a thin river of blood from his lip. "You son of a bitch."

He got up quickly and ran up the stairs towards the closed door.  _He was going to knock it down!_   _He was going to kill Sasuke Uchiha for doing that to him!_  Everyone heard Naruto's shouting as he charged against the door to knock it down followed by the grunts of pain as he rolled back down the stairs after [failing and bouncing] back against the door.

"Sasukeeee!" Naruto shouted, once again at the bottom and looking for a place from where to escape.  _Sasuke was going to pay!_

The battle continued, although to Sasuke's luck, counting on those guys from the band was a privilege—they kept Orochimaru in line, managing to move with ease to attack.

This time, tired of waiting, Kabuto was the one who tried to keep the others occupied while his master went for what he actually came looking for. An attack of serpents went directly to Sav when a small dog placed itself in the middle and an explosion caused by Fish stopped the attack.

"Well, we arrived at a great time," They heard Kakashi's voice after them with Pakkun looking at the battle from the bottom. "And Naruto?"

"Sasuke... I'm going to kill you!" Everyone heard somewhat closer.

"Shit," Sasuke whispered. "I think he's there in the vents."

"What is he doing in the vents?" Sakura asked, accumulating chakra in her hands to break the hatch. From there, she could see blond hair approaching.

"I don't know," Was the only thing Sasuke let out, pretending to be innocent despite hearing the [string of curses] Naruto threw at him.

Once getting out of the vents, he ran to Sasuke, throwing a punch directly to his face—who was lucky to have dodged it by a miracle—followed by insults and the fury his partner was letting out.

"What happened to working as a team, idiot?!" Naruto yelled.

"Stop, you don't understand anything."

"I understand perfectly [well]; it's you who doesn't understand! I'm not a little kid who needs to be protected, nor the 'scaredy-cat'. I don't need you to keep getting in between and stopping the attacks, I don't need you to take care of me! I want a partner... my partner."

No one in his group understood what that was about, but they knew Sasuke well enough to know he had done [something] to Naruto. They kept silence and watched as Sasuke's semblance changed.

"Fine, let's do it then," Was Sasuke's response.

He threw his arm back, giving his back to his partner and showing his hand to create a combined attack. Naruto showed his best smile upon having convinced his partner to fight together again and such was his emotion, that without any hesitation at all, he extended his hand and gave him a high-five.

Everyone looked at him almost doubtfully, unable to understand how Naruto could have done that and contemplating Sasuke's face as he got annoyed by the second from the surprise of what Naruto had just done. He had expected his help, for him to make a Rasengan and unite it with his Chidori...something so that the two of them could attack. Instead... Naruto had understood nothing.

" _Na-_ _ru_ _-to,_ " An annoyed Sasuke pronounced.

Upon that, Naruto seemed to have realized from Sasuke's intonation that he had made a mistake. Of course, he wasn't going to give his friend the luxury of knowing that it had been unintentional, so that's why he pretended. He narrowed his eyes, put on his best smile and scratched his cheek like he tended to do while claiming over and over again that it was a joke. That gesture from Naruto made Sasuke understand that his friend wasn't joking—he had done it intentionally and now he was trying to fake it. Naruto had always been easily distracted, too innocent; he didn't realize most things. That's why he didn't give it too much importance and waited for his partner to understand that he wanted to unite their powers.

"Let's go," Naruto smiled, joining hands to initiate Sage Mode, asking for Kurama's power to amplify it.

"Alright," Sasuke whispered, once again activating his Sharingan, determined to incinerate that serpent once and for all. He just needed a moment—for Naruto to retain him for a second so he could use Amaterasu or, perhaps... he could even use 'Yasaka no Magatama'.

This time, both jumped into the attack without even waiting for their teammates to unite. It was most likely that Kakashi would come up with a plan, however, that horrific chakra at their backs made everyone stop—seeing how Fish had released his teammate's seal. Sasuke could clearly see his brother's tattoo on Sav's arm—the seal that began to disappear and how the guy's eyes took on a red tone.

It's not something the raven would've wished for; he had preferred not to touch that seal but he understood the need to have done it. He activated his eyes, wondering if he should or shouldn't use the Izanagi but knew—upon seeing those penetrating red eyes of his brother, imprisoned within Sav's body—that it would kill him if he did. Ending up being blind for an ability wasn't something he had in mind, much less his brother.

Seeing how Sav walked towards him and Naruto, he clearly knew that he could use that ability—his brother would think of something; he was the genius of the Uchiha Clan for a reason. Naruto, on the other hand, looked at the scene without understanding anything, without knowing how Sav could have the Sharingan in his eyes and looked to the raven for an answer despite not getting one.

After seeing him pass by his side, with his eyes fixed on Kabuto, [Sasuke] knew that Itachi was doing something and judging from Kabuto's terrorized expression, he guessed what it could be at that instant—even more when [Kabuto] turned towards Orochimaru, almost begging him to not let him get him once again.

"What's going on?" Naruto asked by Sasuke's side.

"It's Izanami," Sasuke commented. "He's going to use it again on Kabuto. He'll entrap him in an illusionary world—a constant loop that stops after regret."

"Do you know how to do it?"

"No, not yet," Sasuke smirked.

"How does that guy know it?"

Sasuke didn't answer. He didn't want to tell him that he had used that forbidden technique to keep the soul of his brother in the world of the living. If anyone found out about it, they'd end up going after [Sav], looking for his brother and trying to take his eyes—the Sharingan. He couldn't let anyone find out about that.

Seeing how Kabuto was paralyzed, he knew that Itachi had him under his ability and was now walking towards the snake whose smile was wiped off his face.  _If he thought getting that guy was going to be easy, he was wrong!_ He could never [go up against] Itachi, he had tried it in the past and failed. His brother had more power each time, more techniques, more combat experience. If he had to label his brother... it'd be something like 'almost invincible'. Not even he had confronted his brother in plain conditions.

He watched as Sav opened his left eye with the Mangekyou Sharingan on. That black fire engulfed Orochimaru's clothing and hundreds of white snakes that made up his body fell charred to the floor, some managing to escape through the cracks on the floor.

Naruto wanted to run towards them; he could feel them with his Sage Mode and could annihilate them with a single move but Sav's arm stopped him.

"Leave him, he won't bother again," He heard that deep voice. It had changed completely from the man he had met before.

The young man turned around in search of Sasuke. It had been years since he had seen his brother. He hadn't changed much! But he was happy that he had returned with his [friends], that he was once again in Naruto's team, his best friend. It made him happy to see that they conserved that bond despite all that had happened between them.

"My foolish little brother," Sav smiled, with his fingers tapping his brother's forehead.

Sasuke only smiled. He knew he couldn't change his brother's habits, that he couldn't argue that he would always be his...'foolish little brother' despite now understanding that he said it with love.

"You had me worried," Sasuke said.

"I'm alright, but stop doing all this nonsense. I know how to defend myself."

"I know, but even still... I feel..."

"Don't feel guilty," Itachi added, hugging his brother before the seal returned back to normal.

"I don't want to lose you again."

"I'll always be by your side. Always," Itachi assured.

A chakra Sasuke knew too well made him open his eyes widely, raising his gaze towards an angry Naruto on the other side who was letting out his fury and anger with that orange chakra. He knew how deadly his attacks were when he was in Sage Mode and combined with Kurama's—so much so, that he pushed Sav aside and placed himself in between just as Naruto pounced towards them.

"He's my brother!" Sasuke shouted towards Naruto, who halted immediately. "He's my brother," He repeated.

"No... he can't be."

"I'm alright, Naruto. I'll explain everything on the way home, alright?"

"Has he really not noticed?" Sai asked from one of the corners.

"It's Naruto," Sakura whispered. "He only saw his best friend being hugged by someone he doesn't know."

"But, his chakra..." Sai tried to say.

"He wasn't looking into that," Kakashi butted in. "He was only seeing if Sasuke was or wasn't in danger."

Sage Mode began fading. His chakra reduced and turned back to normal; he brought his hand up to his head, scratching it a bit as he narrowed his eyes and smiled.

"I knew that; I was just joking," Naruto tried to play it off despite the face Sasuke gave him.

"Yeah... of course," Was the only thing Sasuke let out.

"He's as impulsive as always," Itachi smiled. "Hey, Naruto... take care of him, alright? Don't let him into trouble."

"I will," Naruto smiled towards Itachi.

" _I'm_  the one who always looks after you, dobe."

One last hug was what Sasuke felt from his brother—the last one before his eyes began to lose its red color and seeing how the tattoo returned to [Sav's] arm, sealing his brother's soul once again within that boy and preserving what was left of him.

***

Finally, the concert continued just as it should have. Everyone enjoyed the music that 'These Septic Stars' played, brightening up the place while Sasuke ordered a beer at the bar.

"You're not going to buy me one?" Naruto asked.

"Pay it yourself," Sasuke whispered as they gave him his beer, however, he watched how Naruto took his empty frog-wallet out. "Fine, I'll pay just this one time. Bring him a beer," He demanded the bartender.

"Thanks, Sasuke."

"Take it, I have to go to the bathroom."

"Me, too," Naruto smiled.

Rare were the times Naruto could witness his partner's smiles, at least, authentic smiles. He was always serious and overall... prideful and vengeful. He wasn't the type to smile a lot, at least not after the tragedy of his clan. Whenever he saw those smiles, he thought that it had been worth it to have followed him those three years—that it was worth getting beat over and over again but at least he had been able to take part of his darkness. He was his friend, his best friend, and no one could ever change that.  _His brother!_ That's what Naruto was to him: a brother.

Naruto followed Sasuke towards the bathroom and left the can of beer over the sink, walking over towards the stall in front of him and lowering his zipper to urinate on foot next to Sasuke who imitated him. Both looked forwards until the door opened and they saw their teammate Sai walk towards them, standing in the middle stall between them and undoing his zipper to urinate.

Neither paid attention to it until Sasuke turned around, feeling like he was being watched. Sai was one of those who tended to mess with his teammate's manhood—a boy without emotions, cold, and manipulative without being able to understand the norms of society. It freaked him out! But, he was his teammate. Naruto also looked towards Sai, who directed his gaze towards his member.

Both boys blushed at that, but Sasuke was the first to stop the action and zip up, looking for another stall where he could finish.

" _Fuck!_  [There's no way to pee without being watched!]" Sasuke annoyingly said, feeling being watched.

" _Sai_!" Naruto whined, zipping up as well to go somewhere else, imitating Sasuke.

"So it  _is_  small," Sai laughed despite being unable to see anything from both being too quick to walk away.

" _SAI!_ " Naruto shouted, annoyed yet blushed as he heard Sasuke's laughter from the other side. " _SASUKE_! Don't you start as well!"

Both walked out practically at the same time, Naruto picking up his can of beer to enjoy the music from the new group, 'These Septic Stars'. Everything had returned to normal, however, his blue eyes were fixed on that tattoo on [Sav's] arm, on Itachi's image. He turned towards Sasuke and placed his arm around his shoulders, smiling and finally understanding the motive that had brought [the Uchiha] all the way here.

"I won't say anything about that technique," Naruto assured. "But next time you do something like this, tell me."

"I'll think about it," Sasuke smiled. "Now... let me enjoy the concert."

***

It had been a few days since they'd returned to the Village and yet, [Naruto] hadn't seen Sasuke since their last mission. It was true that he had let himself go a bit; that for some strange reason, those sudden feelings of jealousy had surged with the ones he let out in his fury. He had loved that arrogant boy for a long time but he always hid it. He knew the raven well—surely Sasuke would laugh at him or blow him off like he did with all the women in Konoha.

It was late. He hadn't even bothered to look at the clock but no noise could be heard on the streets. The stars shone brighter than ever from his window despite it fogging up. It must be cold outside. He didn't like Fall, but Sasuke loved this time of year. The leaves on the trees fell, each dying one by one, no... Naruto didn't like this season. Even when he walked through the streets: people went about [well-covered], many in silence as they hurried their pace to shelter themselves from the bad [climate]. Maybe Sasuke liked it because he could return to his usual loneliness.

He thought that bringing him back to Konoha would do him good, but he was still as independent and lonesome as always. That's what he was thinking when a cloud covered the crescent moon. The first few drops began falling, hitting against the crystal. What could Sasuke be doing?  _Sleeping!_  That's probably what he was doing, and perhaps he should do that, too.

He turned around to sleep, giving his back to the window and looking at himself in the mirror all the way in the back. His eyes couldn't take themselves off his sleeping hat, but his mind was far from there. He closed his eyes tight shut and told himself that he had to sleep, however... not even like that could he manage to do it. Only Sasuke's image appeared over and over, his loneliness.

"Damn it," Naruto complained, getting up pissed off and looking through his closet for clothes to put on.

He hated that feeling. He found himself lonely many times but he had no family to go to, now Sasuke didn't either. Both were alone in the world and he wanted to [fix] that.

He walked out of his house, walking amongst the rain.  _He hadn't even gotten an umbrella! Not like he had one at home!_  He walked slowly, thoughtful on whether or not he should bother Sasuke at these hours of the night. There was no one on the streets, only the sound of droplets falling on puddles of water. The rain intensified as he headed towards the Uchiha Clan, almost as if it knew of the disgrace that had fallen over the clan and cried of its loneliness.

He walked through the deserted streets of the famous and infamous Uchiha Clan. Only Sasuke lived there now. Its houses were still abandoned. The wood rotted with the time and rain. The ponds were empty; the plants grew without anyone to control them. A ghost town—that's what the Uchiha Clan was.

Once arriving at Sasuke's family's house, he went through the garden to cross it. He doubted on whether or not he should knock, if he should wake Sasuke up, but Sasuke's voice surprised him. He was there, sitting on the porch on a [hammock] that he himself made.

"You're soaked," Sasuke commented.

"You're not asleep?"

"I couldn't sleep," Sasuke whispered. "I can barely sleep well in this house."

"Memories?"

"Too many. Cup of tea?" Sasuke asked, pointing to the clay cup he had at his side, steaming.

"Yes, please. I need something hot."

"Let's go inside. The only thing you'll get out here is a cold."

The house was really organized although there was no furniture. Sasuke was still lonesome and independent, a boy who didn't need material things. He had adapted to what little he had under Orochimaru's care.

He watched Sasuke walk towards the kitchen, pouring a bit of tea on a cup and placing it on the table. While Naruto grabbed the cup and drank it to get warm, Sasuke disappeared through the long hallway.

The blond took advantage to sit on one of the cushions on the floor, taking a long sip and gaining warmth despite the water on his clothes and hair dripping on the floor. Seeing how the wood floor got wet, Naruto walked to the kitchen looking for a cloth to dry it, he didn't want to be another burden for Sasuke nor destroy his house.

He kneeled down and tried to dry it as best as he could even though it continued getting wet from the water that dripped from his clothing.

"Shit," He whispered.

"Leave it, dobe," Sasuke whispered at his side, throwing a towel over his wet hair. "Come here, you're going to get sick."

Sasuke kneeled at his side, moving the towel over his teammate's hair to dry and gaining a surprised look from Naruto. [Sasuke] always worried about him despite being as lonesome as he was.

"What are you doing here, Naruto?"

"I... don't know. The other day, I was furious at you. You pushed me down the stairs without any reason at all and I didn't understand, now I think... that you were only protecting me. I was home alone and... I don't want to be alone, Sasuke, nor do I want you to be, either."

"I'm used to it, Naruto."

"Yeah, I know that very well, but... I don't want you to be."

Those blue eyes were visible under the grey towel Sasuke had left over his hair. He could smell the raven's aroma, the particular one that only he had, that aroma that attracted him without a clear reason why. His face moved forwards and then leaned a few millimeters back upon realizing what he wanted.

"Do you want to sleep over?" Sasuke finally asked, seeing Naruto so affected by the topic of loneliness.

"Can I?"

"Yes. Anytime you need to, you can come over. I'll prepare a futon for you. You can take a shower first to get warm. I'll leave your clothes to dry."

"Thanks."

 _The shower had felt amazing!_  He didn't know if he could sleep or not, but once arriving at the room covered [only by] a towel, he saw a dark short-sleeved shirt and shorts placed over his futon. It was perfectly ironed and had the Uchiha symbol on the back. They were Sasuke's clothes, probably his old ones and he had left it [for him to use as] pajamas.

Sasuke's futon was at his side, but he wasn't in the room. He took that to his advantage and changed, placing the towel back in the bathroom. Once returning to the room, Sasuke was there in his futon and with his back to the blond.

"Goodnight, Sasuke."

"Goodnight."

***

 _He had to pee!_  He had to urgently go to the bathroom but he was still in the dark bedroom. His body felt heavy, he couldn't get up but he needed to. His body felt like he had slept for an eternity and even still, he felt tired.

He opened his eyes but could barely see anything. At his side, breathing hit against his face like when someone sighed. He hesitated, not sure of where he was and then, after a few seconds of thinking and looking around the dark room, he remembered he had gone to Sasuke's house. He was so confused...

"Go to sleep," He heard Sasuke say at his side.

"I have to go to the bathroom," Naruto said between yawns.

"Then go. You know where it is."

Sasuke's voice sounded drowsy. He must've been tired as well. Naruto began sitting up and before he could realize it, he had pushed his face to Sasuke's before getting up to go to the bathroom.

He opened the door and the rays of the sun entered through the house windows, flashing the boy's eyes that had barely gotten used to the dark. Once in the bathroom and urinating, after a big yawn, he realized something that made him open his eyes immediately and blush.  _He had kissed Sasuke Uchiha before walking out of the room!_  He hadn't even realized it until that moment. An impulse, an impulse he didn't control.

"Oh...shit," Naruto whispered. "How am I going to go back now? Did he realize or was he still sleeping?" He asked himself.

He finished urinating and walked back through the hallway towards the room door. He didn't know whether to open it or not, maybe it was a better idea to go sleep on the cushions in the living room. He slapped his cheeks with the palms of his hands and opened the door. He said nothing, pretending to be drowsy still and laid down on the futon once again. Maybe if he pretended to be out of it, Sasuke wouldn't find out or even take it into account.

"Did you just kiss me?" Sasuke asked at his side.

"M-me? No, of course not. Did I?"

"Yes. Before going to the bathroom."

"That's not true, I haven't done anything."

"Are you a sleepwalker?"

"Well... I don't know. Possibly."

"What a pity then," Sasuke turned around, giving his back to him once more.

Pity? Did he say it was a pity? Did he want him to have kissed him? Those words confused Naruto more. He turned towards him, looking at his back through the gloom. Only a few rays that had snuck in through the boards showed what happened in the room.

"And if I did kiss you?" Naruto asked. "Would something have changed?"

"I don't know; I guess we'll never know."

He pushed with his arms, sitting up slightly, approaching Sasuke and grabbing his arms to make him look up. He placed himself over him, keeping each of Sasuke's wrists intact on each side of his head. He began lowering his head, this time knowing perfectly well what he was going to do. What happened previously had been a [sudden impulse], he hadn't even felt anything—he hadn't given him the time, which was a problem of his subconscious. Now he would be able to enjoy it, he had proposed himself to it.

He lowered his head until his lower lip grazed Sasuke's upper lip, as if wanting to lift it, to separate it from the lower one and trap him. He separated once more, doubting on whether he should kiss him or not, if he could even do it. Sasuke didn't seem to resist, his arms were still on both sides. He didn't resist and neither did he try to get free.

He waited patiently, his eyes closed, feeling Naruto's member harden and rub against his crotch. He knew they had a special relationship. He had wanted Naruto to look at him for years, but he only went along as his best friend. He was happy that finally, he was taking initiative.

Finally, Naruto took Sasuke's upper lip, letting Sasuke move his lips to entrap Naruto's lower one. He placed a slow rhythm, but his waist began moving, rubbing his member slightly with Sasuke's. Separating a few centimeters, he looked directly into the raven's eyes.

"I have to confess... that... I felt jealous," Naruto finally said.

"Of Savage?"

"Yeah. I saw you there, hugging a stranger. I didn't think you'd have other friends apart from me and... when you hugged him, I just felt—"

"You thought I was changing you for someone else, for another friend. It's not like that, Naruto. He was my brother and you are my best friend."

"You're also mine and I feel something strong for you. Strong enough to get infuriated the way I did seeing you with someone else."

"I love* you, even if I make you mad sometimes," Sasuke said. "And I also don't believe what Sai said about your dick."

"No?" Naruto asked with a smirk.

"No. I feel your member down there. It doesn't seem small."

"It's not that big either."

"It's fine."

"Are you sure of this, Sasuke? These could be confused feelings."

"Naruto... I like you. I trust you and you are my best friend. Is there anything else more important for a relationship? You have it all, even my brother trusts you. You're what separates loneliness from me, the one who returns the light. Only you."

 _Surprised!_  That's how Naruto was upon seeing how Sasuke opened himself up to him. He imagined that it was thanks to both being alone because he would never confess anything like this in public. He had always been a tough guy despite, deep down, being sensible and sweet. He was right on them being good friends and that... would make them into a great couple. They couldn't trust anyone else if it wasn't each other even if they tried.

"Don't ever go on another mission without me," Naruto commented, but before the other could reply, he had already trapped his lips once more.

His kisses turned more possessive and, finally, Naruto's hands let go of Sasuke's wrists, now placing his hands under the raven's shirt. In just a few seconds, Naruto had managed to take off Sasuke's shirt, hurrying to take his off as well and looking at the Uchiha emblem on both of them.

Sasuke still had that perfect body that all the girls loved. His toned abs were the main attention of his caresses while Naruto's lips refused to let go of the raven's, forcefully playing with that of his lover's.

Sasuke, too, tried to move his hand towards a Naruto who seemed to have completely lost all control, but the blond took advantage to grab the hand that came to him and stop it, placing it back over Sasuke's head and tightly gripping his wrist.

The raven tilted his head up, licking Naruto's chest and biting those nipples that perked with every caress they received. The blond closed his eyes, letting himself go from the attention he was receiving, from the pleasure he began drowning in in every part of his body. His grip ceased, giving freedom and control to Sasuke. He only opened his eyes upon feeling how Sasuke lowered towards his member and took it out of his pants to start licking it.

A blush was made present instantly on a Naruto who tried sitting up to stop said action. It's not that he didn't like it, in fact, he loved the sensation but... he was embarrassed to be in this situation—with Sasuke leaning over his member, sucking and licking it with his eyes closed as if he were also embarrassed at what was going on. He wanted to speak, wanted to tell him that it was alright if he didn't want to do it, but seeing those closed eyes of his and how concentrated he was, the idea vanished. It didn't seem like Sasuke was suffering for doing what he was doing, in fact, it was the opposite. He seemed to be enjoying it and even more when his hand began to gently fondle Naruto's balls, adding to his pleasure.

Naruto's first moan came at that instant and the second one didn't take long to arrive as Sasuke's mouth changed pace—as he lightly bit the tip of his member to provoke a shiver. Unable to take it anymore, Naruto decided to stop being so passive and once again took control.

Without previous warning, Naruto sat up, placing a surprised Sasuke on his knees while he got up completely. Sasuke tried to separate himself from Naruto, somewhat confused, but the other only entangled his fingers through the dark, rebellious hair of his lover and pulled him towards his member, roughly introducing it into Sasuke's mouth and marking his own rhythm.

Sasuke didn't even complain. He let Naruto take control this time. He was too excited to ruin this moment. So many years had he wished to be with him and now that he could, he wasn't going to let anyone or anything ruin this, not even his Uchiha pride.

The moans intensified even though Naruto's were more audible. He was about to cum when he decided to take his member out of the Uchiha's mouth and instead prepare the raven's entrance. This, too, was new to Sasuke and despite trying to struggle at first, refusing to be the bottom, he couldn't fight against Naruto's force. Naruto had grabbed both Sasuke's hands with only one of his and held them down on the floor—leaving Sasuke at his disposal.

Naruto positioned himself as he licked the fingers from his injured arm to introduce them into the only boy he had desired for so long. He thought that Sasuke would close his legs, impeding him from doing his job, but instead... it was all the opposite. Sasuke opened his legs, giving him permission to do what he wanted. This brought a smile to the blond's face.

He prepared the entrance thoroughly and hearing Sasuke's moans—those Naruto couldn't hear before due to his member being in Sasuke's mouth—excited him even more; making him even more thrilled for the moment that he would finally make this boy his.

He entered him gently and although he saw the pained expression on Sasuke's face, even after lubricating the entrance to avoid pain, he didn't want to stop until his entire member was inside; his balls against Sasuke's ass. The moan that came out of the raven's mouth was what convinced Naruto to get a move on, marking his rhythm at which the two felt comfortable with. Barely ten minutes later and after trying various positions that Naruto had always wanted to try with him, he came in his interior at the same time that Sasuke covered the floor with his semen.

They took a while to catch their breaths. Naruto had simply slid out of Sasuke but let his body fall over the raven's; Sasuke was still on top of the table trying to catch his breath.

"What does this mean?" Naruto asked after their moment together.

"It means... what you want it to mean."

"What are you trying to say with that?"

"I want to say that I've always wanted to be with you, but... I understand that you've always been alone, that you've never had a family and that you also struggle to have that type of bond with people."

"I love you, Sasuke," Naruto assured. "It's true that I've always taken care of myself, that I don't know what it means to be a couple, but with you... I want to try it. I want to learn with you."

"Let's try it, then," Sasuke kissed him. "But next time, it's my turn to [give it to you]," Sasuke smiled, passing his arm behind Naruto's neck, bringing him closer so the blond could place his head on his chest.

 **End**.

*Original phrasing here was " _Te_ _quiero_ _a_ _ti_ _,_ " which could either be: " _I love (only) you,_ " or " _I want (only) you_." Either way, it works.

 


End file.
